Folding or extension fire-ladder



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1. L. DEDERICK. FOLDING 0R EXTENSION FIRELADDER.

Patented Au 1, 1893.

atta n-nay v 3 z 4 fm l evapeden'ak 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

L. DEDERIOK. FOLDING OR EXTENSION FIRE LADDER.

(N0 Modgl.)

No. 502,485. Patented Aug. 1, 1893.

lllll (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet a. DEDERIOK.

FOLDING 0R EXTENSION FIRE LADDER. No. 502,485. Patented Aug. 1, 1893.

(ta army 1? Nine TATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEVI DEDERICK, OF ALBANY, NEW YORK.

FOLDING OR-EXTENSION FIRE-LADDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 502,485, dated August1, 1893.

Application filed July 19, 1892- Serial No. 440,466- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LEVI DEDERICK, a citizen of the United States,residing at Albany, in the county of Albany and State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Folding or ExtensionFire- Ladders; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

My invention relates to improvements in foldingfire ladders; and itconsists in the devices and elements and combinations of devices andelements hereinafter particularly described and specifically set forthin the claims.

The objects of my invention are, first, to provide a ladder which iscomposed of a pair of folding side rails and a series of rounds arrangedbetween them and capable of being extended and contracted at will;second, to combine with a ladder, composed of a pair of folding siderails and a series of rounds secured therewith, supporting guide railsrunning in direction of the line of extension of the said ladder, and aseries of coacting guiding devices secured to the said folding rails,whereby the folded ladder may be supported and have its parts guidedwhen the ladderis being extendedand contracted third, to combine with aladder composed of a pair of folding side rails and a series of roundssecured therewith, supporting guide rails arranged parallel with theline of direction of extension of the said ladder and co-acting devicessecured to the same, of a holding device, securing one end of the ladderstationary in relation to the said guide rails and a draft deviceoperating with the extendible portions of the said folding side rails,whereby the ladder may have its parts extended and folded at will;fourth, to combine with the folding side rails of a ladder and itsrounds a series of cross shafts or bars having their outer endsoperatingas pivotson whichthe folding barsof said side rails articulate,and set distant from the rounds of the ladder, whereby the folding sideswill be stiffened in both the direction of their depth and the width ofthe ladder; fifth, to combine with a ladder composed of a series ofrounds secured to folding side rails, of a series of cross shaftsextending from one folding side rail to the other, and a series oflazytong levers arranged between the said folding side rails and pivotedto the said cross shafts, whereby the ladder may be stiffened againstlateral sway; sixth, to combine with guide rails which are pivoted bytheir foot ends so as to be capable of being moved from a horizontalposition toward a vertical one and the reverse, and which support andguide the folding side rails of a folding ladder, bracing bars which arejointed at their foot ends with a stationary base piece or platform andhave their opposite ends in sliding contact with the said guide rails atpoints distant from the pivot on which guide rails are moved, anddevices for holding the sliding ends of the said bracing bars, tobearings against side rails at points to which they may be moved,whereby the said guide rails will be supported and braced from pointsWhichare distant from the pivot on which said guide rails are turned; toprovide with a folding ladderguide rails, a hoisting mechanism and adraft mechanism, whereby the said ladder may be elevated from ahorizontal position and be extended at will, and, finally, to provideparticular combina tions of devices and parts whereby my improvementsmay be embodied in extension or folding ladders. I attain these objectsby the means illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming a part ofthis specification, in which Figure l is a side elevation of anextension or folding ladder, mounted on a truck and embodying theimprovements in my invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the samewith the ladder extended. Fig. 3 is a view of the same from its rearside. Fig. 4 is a section of the body of the foldingladder with anextensible stiffening device secured thereto. Fig. 5 is a plan view ofthe same. Fig. 6 isa section, on an enlarged scale, taken in thetransverse through the guide rails, and showing the manner in which theparts of the folding ladder are secured and guided in their movements.Fig. 7 is a View, in section, of the supplemental ladder.

In the drawings A represents any suitable platform.

B B are suitable standards secured to the said platform, to serve aspart of ajoint connection between the said platform. and the guide railsof the folding ladder; and O is a truck body, mounted on wheels andsupporting the said platform which is constructed to serve as a turntable, capable of being revolved horizontally in any direction at will.

D D are guide rails which may be made of wood or metal or both combined,and with a length suitable for use with an extendible ladder of thecapacity selected. The guide rails have their forward ends jointed bymeans of any pivot or shaft a to the said standards B B. These guiderails have preferably made in them, from the inner sides, thelongitudinal slots (1, shown by full lines in Fig. 6 and indicated bydotted lines in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, which slots are extended from theforward ends of said guide rails to their rear end terminals. Althoughthese guide rails may be made with any suitable form, yet I prefer tomake them with a truss form as shown, in which the guide rail proper, ateach side is strengthened by the bars D D arranged relatively at anangle with rails D D, and tied therewith by means of studs d and tiebolts (#1 with the forward ends of the said rails and the said bars at adistance apart, while their rear ends are brought together and secured.In this form of construction the lines of the lower side surfaces of thebars D are made relatively inclined, in respect to the line of the slotsd,in the respective guide rails D; the use of which incline will behereinafter explained. The outer or rear ends of these guide rails D areyoked together by means of a crank form tie-rod b, to prevent the saidends from either spreading, or being drawn toward each other.

E E are lifting props, which have their foot ends jointed with theplatform A at points at each side, at equal distances back from thestandards B as illustrated. These lifting props may be made of wood ormetal or both combined, and may each consist of a single piece; yet Ipreferably make them with a truss like form as shown in Fig. 3, andconsisting of pieces 6 a set relatively at an angle or inclining, andstuds 6 e and tie bolts 6 with the pieces 6 e relatively parallel andthe pieces e e relatively inclining as shown in said Fig. 3. The spreadfootends of these lifting props are shown to be pivoted with the crosstimber or piece B of platform B by means of eyes b b, b b and shafts 11b Figs. 1, 2 and 3. The outer ends of these lifting props are yokedtogether by means of any of this tie piecebare suitablepintles e whichpass through the eyes 6" secured to the outer ends of the said liftingprops, and on these pintles are mounted friction rollers E havingbearing against the lower side edge of the guide rails, or bars Dforming adjuncts to said guide rails when made with a truss form ofconstruction as before described. These friction rollers E are providedon their outer ends with flanges e which are in contact with the outerside surface of the said guide rails or their adjuncts D, and preventthe said guide rails from spreading.

F F are hoisting ropes made of any suitable material and preferably ofwire, which ropes are respectively secured by one end to a draft linkf,secured to the pintle pins 6 holding with the outer end of each of thelifting props E, and by their opposite ends each to a drum of anysuitable Windlass. 3 these drums F are shown by dotted lines to be madewith a cone like form, in which form of drums, the hoisting ropes aresecured to the smaller ends of the same for exerting greater force atthe start of the lifting of said props against the guide rails D. Thesedrums FF are mounted on a suitable shaftf, turning in bearings securedto the standards B B and provided with a crank f for revolving the same.A suitable ratchet wheel and pawl and dog are provided on the Windlassshaft f for holding the hoisting ropes from unooiling from the saiddrums F. The said drums are also provided with a brake f preferably of afriction strap provided with a suitable lever and operating on thefriction surface of a suitable flange made with the larger end of saiddrum as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Mounted in suitable bearings at the top or upper ends of the standards BB are shaft-s c c, on which shafts are mounted the friction rollers c 0over which the hoisting ropes F F run; These rollers c are at such adistance above the pivot shaftof the guide rails as to produce betweenthe line of the said hoisting ropes (from said rollers c to the point ofconnection of the said ropes with the upper or outer ends of the liftingprops) and the lower side of the guiding rails or theirinclined adjunctsor bars D, a great divergence or an angle whereby the power from thehoisting drums may be more effectually applied to the outer endsof thelifting props as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2. hen the said guide railsare made with a truss like form with the trussing bars D serving asadjuncts to the guide rails D for stiffening the latter and forproducing an incline in relation to the line of the slots d of the saidguide rail. The lines of the hoisting ropes F (from friction rollers cto the point of connection of said ropes with the lifting props E) andthe lines of the surface 00 of the inclined bars D (against which thefriction rollers E travel) form an angle less acute than the angle wouldbe were the inclined bars D omitted, and the said friction rollers Emoved against the lower side of the guide rails D. By this greater angleof the said lines described, the draft of the Windlass on the outer andmov- In Fig.

IIO

ing ends of the lifting props E is made to be most efiective, and at thecommencement of the lifting of the outer ends of the said props andtheir load, a less force will be required to be applied to the Windlassto etfecta starting of the lifting of the load, than would he were theangle of the said lines less. By providing the guide rails D with theinclined bars D the lower side surfaces on of the said bars, are made togradually accelerate the speed of the upward elevation of the said guiderails from a horizontal position toward a vertical one, so that thenearer the said guide rails approach a perpendicular the more rapid willbe the elevation, and this increasing of speed of elevation will occuras the resistance to the draft of the Windlass is lessening and theperiphery of the cone like drums is receiving the coils of the hoistingropes on lines gradually approaching the larger ends of the said drums.

L is a folding ladder composed of rounds G G and the folding sideportions II II, which folding side portions operate as do side rails inan ordinaryladder for receiving the rounds by which individuals travelup and down the same. The said folding sides II II are arranged aboutparallel and at a distance apart, outside measure, about correspondingwith the distance between the guide rails D D, which receive betweenthem this folding ladder L; and they are each made to be a duplicate ofthe other in their essential parts, and hold, between them, the saidrounds G G secure in place. These folding sides II II are each composedof a series of bars hand a series of co-acting bars h pivoted togetherby pivots 11 and t", with the bars h of one series crossing theiradjoining bars h of the other series, as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 5.These bars h and 7t may be made of any suitable material, but preferablyof thin steel with a suitable width, for receiving the perforationswhich receive the pivots 2' t" and the ends of the rounds G, and notbreak when loaded and extended. Although the several bars h h of therespective series in these folding sides are shown to be of like width;yet they may be made to vary in width when the ladder is to havecapacity for a great eXtension-- that is to say, in ladders intended tobe capable of great length of extension, the first five (or a less orgreater number) maybe made, say one quarter of an inch wider than thoseof the second five bars, and these second five bars may be made onequarter of an inch wider thanv those of the next third five bars and soon to the end of the ladder, lessening the width of the said bars (ingroups) as advance is had toward the outer or top end of the ladder fromits foot or lower end; at the same time the pivots t t" are preferablyincreased in their diameter as the widths of the bars h h are increased.Although the pivots t" may be of length only sufficient to hold the bars72. h jointed together as do pivots t, yet I prefer to make themintegral with the tie bars I I which hold the folding sides II IIconnected with each other as shown in Fig. The said pivots t" may alsobe ex tended outwardly to a distance sufficient to enter theslots d ofthe guiding rails D and serve as sliding studs 2' for holding thefolding ladder L between the said guiding rails and allow the same to beextended and contracted at will; but if preferred, the studs 2' may beindependent of the pivots t" and be secured to the bars h of the outerseries, at points equi-distant from said pivots 2" either above orbelow. The studs t i are preferably provided with friction rollers orthimbles 2' of diameter slightlyless than the width of the slots (Z (Zof the guide rails, which receive them. Although the material around thepivot holes at the outer ends of the bars h h, of the two series in thefolding side portions of the ladder, may be without reinforcement, yetit is preferred to reinforce the metal neighboring the pivot holes, inthe middle portion of the side bars, by suitable hub like pieces 7&2secu red to said bars by rivets or their equivalents, which piecesoperate to supplement the length of the bore receiving their respectivepivots in the middle portions of said bars. The bars I I which areintegral with the pivots z" are shown to be held from moving endwise ineither direction in the bars of the said folding side portions of theladder, by means of pins 75 70, Fig. 6.

The rounds G G of this ladder extend from the outside bars h of onefolding side to the corresponding bars of the opposite side, and havetheir ends suitably secured with said bars at points preferably aboutmidway between the pivotst' dot the middle portions of the said bars asshown. Although these rounds may each consist of a single piece of metalor wood, yet I preferably make them of tubesZ of suitable length anddiameter, having their ends abutting against the inner sides of the barsh, and a tie rod Z passing through the said tube and the said bars andsecured by screw nuts Z as shown in Fig. 6. These rounds G G coaot withthe cross bars I I to prevent the body of the ladder from sagging andfrom swaying sidewise.

This folding ladder may be further stifiened from side swaying by meansof a series of folding slats m m, Figs. 4 and 5, pivoted together bypivots n nso as to produce a fold ing web capable of being extended and0011- tracted in direction of the length of the ladder. This folding webis shown to be pivoted to bars I I by the pivots n n which hold the saidslats m m jointed together at the middle of their length. This foldingweb M formed by the said jointed slats m m may be applied to the wholelength of the folding ladder L which extends, when the ladder iselevated, out past the guide rails D D, or may be used at intervalsbetween the upper end of the extended ladder and the outer ends of thesaid guide rails D as the capacity of the ladder may require.

his

O is a supplemental ladder, provided with a folding platform 0', whichis made to have an attachment with the folding ladder by any suitablemeans, and preferably by means of the slotted side rails 0 shown in Fig.7 and indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1. This supplemental ladder hasits side rails 0 of any.

suitable length, and is provided with rounds 0 0 at suitable distancesapart in the unslotted portion of the rails o; and has also suitableside railings 0 supported from the side rails 0 by suitable standards 0The platform 0' is hinged at the termination of the.

slot sinjhe side rails 0 and has its free end or side guided by suitablepins working in a curved slot 8, provided in the bracket S secured tothe said side rails 0 of the said supplemental ladder.

This folding ladder L has its foot or lower end secured to the guiderails D by means of suitable bolts T passing through said guide railsand the respective folding side portions H H of the said ladder, so thatsaid lower or foot end of the ladder will be securely fixed from movingin either direction in relation to the said guide rails, or the point oftheir pivoted connection with the standards 13 B.

This ladderL is capable of being extended in direction of its length andaway from the holding bolts T when force is applied to its folded partsin direction of arrow 1 in Fig. 1; and when so moved the several bars hh of the folding sides H H will be moved from a-closed up position asshown in Fig. l to that of an opened out position as shown in Fig. 2.The force so applied in direction of arrow 1 may also be applied at anyone or more points in the length of the ladder as may be preferred; andany suitable mechanism may be employed which will apply the moving forceemployed in aline coincident with the line of movement of the ladder;but preference is given to the employment of a Windlass P, secured tothe guide rails D or their adjuncts or bars D, and draft lines Q runningfrom said Windlass to and over the wheels R, mounted on suitablebearings secured to the outer ends of the said guide rails, and thenturned and run forwardly to the forward portion of the folded ladderwhere they are secured to one or more cross bars I of the ladder fromits lower side. The drawings show that thesedraft lines Q are made, intheir portions for winding on the drums of the Windlass, to consist of aropepreferably a wire ropeand a chain portion -19 the latter beingprovided with one or more hooks secured to it at intervals, and engagingwith a corresponding number of bars I while the endslof the chains n arepermanently secured to one of the bars I, or an equivalent piece, as sayto the fifth bar from the bolt T at the foot of the ladder. The hooks qq at intervals in the chains 19', are so placed that when the ladder isin a folded condition as in Fig. 1 there will occur in the said chainsone or more sagging portions Q Q between the points of the hitching ofthe said chains with the ladder; while the portions of chains betweenthe wheels R and the first hook of attachment of the chain as hook q arestraight and taut, so that as soon as the Windlass P is operated, apulling force will at once be exerted in direction of arrow 1 in Fig. 1,and draw the folded sides H in direction away from the fixed foot end ofthe ladder when a rapid extension of the said sides will be effected,and when this extension has been sufficient to cause the sagging portionQ of the chain 10 to be straightened out, the second hook q will thenbegin to pull on the ladder to continue its extension, and will bereleased when the sagging portion Q is straightened out as shown in Fig.2; the draft of the Windlass on the draft lines Q being continued, thepullon the ladder in direction of arrow 1 will be had by the fixed endsof the chains to the bar I near to the foot end of the ladder. Thisextension of the ladder may be started before or at the time the guiderails are beginning to be lifted; and the extension of the ladder andits elevation may be effected simultaneously, by operating therespective windlasses F and P, the one for elevating the guide rails D Dbetween which the ladder is held and guided, and the other for forcingthe folded parts of the ladder to unfold and extend themselves outwardlyand from situation shown in Fig. 1 to that in Fig. '2. The Windlass P isprovided with a ratchet wheel and pawl for holding the same fromunwinding the draft lines Q and also with a suitable brake if undercontrol of an operator, by which the ladder may be allowed to contract,by force of its" gravity, with any regulated speed preferred.

W'hen this ladder is extended as illustrated in Fig. 2, the rounds G Gof the same will be in situation for allowing a fireman or other personto go up or come down, stepping on the said rounds, as on rounds in acommon ladder. When the supplemental ladder O is in place as in Fig. 1,and the folding ladder L is elevated and extended, the platform 0 may befolded to a horizontal position and serve as a standing place for afireman for holding a hose, or for holding persons escaping from abuilding, by way of a window or the roof, and by the rounds of saidladder 0.

By the improvements in this invention this folding ladder and itssupplemental ladder O can be rapidly elevated and lowered so as torescue persons from buildings, and transfer them from the roof orwindows of same to near the ground. By applying the force to the foldingladder in direction of the line of itsextension, the ladder may beextended with great ease.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, 1s

1. In a foldingladder, the combination with the folding sides H Hcomposed of the two series of bars as h h pivoted together bypivots 'i tas described, and'the rounds G G secured by their ends alternately tothe said sides are allowed to be freely extended and Contracted at will,substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. In a folding ladder the combination with the folding sides H'Hcomposed each of two series of bars as h h pivoted together by pivots asdescribed, and the rounds G Gsecured by their ends alternately to bars hh of the respective folding sides and without serving as pivots, of theguide rails D holding and guiding the said folding sides in theirmovements when being extended or contracted, and devices describedsecuring the foot ends of said folding sides fixed with the said guiderails, with permission for the free movement of the bodies of the saidfolding sides in direction of the length of the ladder, substantially asand for the purposes set forth.

3. In a foldingladder the combination with the folding sides H H,pivoted together by the horizontal bars I I Iwhile their bars h h arepivoted together by the pivots i 2", and the studs 1' 2' projecting fromthe outer ends of said sides, of the pivoted guide railsD D calculatedto be raised at will from a horizontal position to or toward a verticalone and the reverse and co-acting with said studs, and the holdingdevices T securing the foot ends of thesaid folding sides from beingmoved in relation to said guide rails, and the means described forapplying force to the said folding sides, in a line of direction awayfrom the foot holding device T, and at points rearward and distant fromthe said foot holding device, substantially as and for the purposes setforth.

l. In a folding ladder, the combination with the folding sides H Hhaving a series of bars I I secured at their ends in a pivotal mannerwith the said folding sides, and provided with the rounds G G, by whichindividuals may ascend or descend when the ladder is elevated andextended without using the bars I, guiding devices 1' i secured with theouter sides of the said folding sides, of guide rails D, coacting withguiding devices for guiding the said folding sides in their movements ofextension and contraction, a device as described for holding the footends of said folding sides fixed with the said guide rails, devices forserving as pivots for pivoting the said guide rails to suitable piecesfixed to a platform, and a hoisting mechanism for elevating the free orrear ends of said guide rails, substantially as and for the purposes setforth.

5. In afolding ladder, the combination with the folding sides H H havingrounds G G secured to the members or bars h h, composing said sides, butnot serving the purpose of pivots for the joints between said bars orsaid folding sides, guiding devices secured to the outer sides of saidfolding sides, guide rails D coacting with said guiding devices, the

means described for securing the foot ends of said folding sides fixedto the foot ends of the said guide rails, means described for hingingthe foot ends of said guide rails with suitable pieces which are fixedto a platform, of the hoisting mechanism described for raising the freeends of said guide rails, and the mechanism described for applying forceto the body of the said folding ladder in direction of its length and ina line from the foot end of said ladder toward its free or rear end,substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

6. In a folding ladder, and in combination with its folding sides 11 H,which unitedly carry the rounds G G described, and having a series oftransverse bars secured by their ends between the said sides, of guidingrails made with a truss form of construction and hinged by theirconnected foot ends with suitable pieces which are secured to a platformand having their rear or free ends free to be elevated at will, and theguiding devices described secured to the outer sides of the foldingsides of the said ladder, and co-acting with the said guide rails forguiding the said sides in their movements in direction of the length ofsaid guide rails, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

7. In a folding ladder and in combination with its folding sides H Hhaving a series of bars secured between, and provided with guidingdevices t 1?, and the co-acting guide rails D D hinged at theirfoot endswith pieces fixed to a platform, of the inclined bars D D secured tosaid guide rails and inclining outwardly and downwardly in relation tothe latter, a sliding mechanism for applying power to said inclinedbars, and hoisting or draft lines connecting the said sliding mechanismwith a Windlass, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

S. The combination with the guide rails D D, of a folding laddercomposed of the folding sides H H and rounds G G working between saidguide rails, hinging device connectin g the foot ends of said guiderails with pieces secured to a platform, lifting props having their footends hinged to the said platform, and their free ends applied againstthe free ends of the said guide rails and capable of sliding in relationto the same when power is applied to elevate the free ends of saidlifting props, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

9. The combination with the guide rails D D hinged to pieces secured toa platform, and a folding ladder constructed as described, held andguided by said guide rails andhaving its foot end secured fixedly to thefront ends of the same with provision for the free movement of the bodyaway from the fixed ends thereof, of the lifting props E E, having theirfoot ends secured by a jointedconnection to the platform the said guiderails are hinged with, friction rollers supported from the free ends ofthe said lifting props and having bearing against the said guide railsor rails and thence toward the fixed foot end of the folding ladder andengaging with it at one or more points rearward of the point of itsfastening with said guide rails, substantially as and for the purposesset forth.

10. In combination with the hinged guide rails of afolding ladder andthe inclined bars D D secured to said guide rails, of the lifting propsE E having their foot ends jointed to a stationary piece and their freeends in sliding contact against the lower sides of the said bars D, aWindlass having a cone form drum, a friction roller mounted in bearingson a plane above the plane of the axis of the said Windlass andahoisting rope having one end secured to said cone like drum and thenrunning to and over the said friction roller, and thence to the freeends of the said lifting props, substantially as and for the purposesset forth.

11. The combination with a folding ladder composed of the folding sidesH H and rounds G G, all as described, and guiding rails securely holdingthe foot ends of thesaid folding ladder sides, from moving, and guidingthe extendible portions of said sides in their movements when beingextended and contracted, of a draft line secured to the extensionportion of the said ladder so as to be capable of pulling on the same indirection of the length of the ladder and at points rearwardly of thepoints at which the foot ends of the folding sides are held with theguiding rails, a Windlass provided with a ratchet wheel and pawl foroperating said draft line, and a brake under control of an operator, thesaid windlass being carried by the said guide rails, in all itsmovements from a horizontal position to a vertical one and the reverse,substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

12. The combination with the folding sides H H of a ladder, and rounds GGsecured with the members h h of said folding sides without serving aspivots and arranged between said sides, of the bars I I pivoting themembers h h of said folding sides together and holding each side withthe other and permitting the said rounds G G to be used for ascendingand descending the said ladder when extended and in a vertical or aninclined position, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

13. The combination with the folding sides H H composed of the twoseries of bars or members h h, pivots i z" and horizontal bars Iintegral with pivots t" of the roundsG Gsecured alternately by theirends with said bars h and it without operating as pivots on which saidbars may work, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

14. The combination with the folding sides H H composed each of twoseries of bars 7L 72. secured together in a jointed manner by pivots i'L d, and connected together by bars I I, and rounds G G held betweensaid folding sides, of studs 2' 71 provided with friction thimbles, andguide rails D D co-acting with the said studs for supporting the movingportions of the bodies of the said folding sides and means for securingthe foot ends of said folding sides fixed to the guide rails,substantially as and for the-purposes set forth.

15. The combination with the guide rails D D and the inclined stiffeningbars D D secured to the latter and a platform and a hinge connectionbetween the said guide rails and said platform, of the lifting props E Ecomposed of the pieces e e e and the rods, and hinge joints between thesaid platform and the foot ends of the said lifting props and frictionrollers E 13. mounted in bearings secured by the free ends of saidlifting props, and having bearing against the lower side edges of theinclined bars D D, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

16. The combination with the folding ladder L capable of being extendedat will and elevated, of the supplemental ladder O and platform 0pivoted. with said supplemental ladder, and capable of being folded atwill, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

17. The combination with afolding ladder capable of being extended andcontracted at will, of the supplemental ladder 0 provided with extendedslotted side rails 0, and the platform 0 pivoted to said supplementalladder and curved guide pieces guiding the movement of said platform,substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

18. The combination with the folding sides H H of a folding laddercomposed of bars h h pivoted together and the cross barsII connectingeach of the said folding sides with the other, of the folding slats m m,pivots n n and pivots n holding said folding slats pivoted with saidcross bars I I substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

19. The combination with a folding ladder of the supplemental ladder 0formed by side rails o and rounds o,- the said side rails being providedwith slots sfor engagementwith the rounds of the folding ladder,substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony that I claim the invention above set forth I affixmysignature in presence of two witnesses.

LEVI DEDERIOK.

Witnesses:

GEORGE PoE, ALEX. SELKIRK.

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